COLLEGE
Coach Beaman recently completed his first season as the boys basketball coach at Randolph Southern High School in Lynn, Ind., a 20-minute shot up U.S. 27 from IU East.
COACHES
Beaman (General Studies, 1996) jumped back into coaching at the varsity level this past winter after a prior five-year stint as the boys varsity head coach at Seton Catholic High School in Richmond.
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Scott Beaman
Mark Bevins was one of many IU East graduates actively involved in coaching this past school year. Here is a look at some of the IU East alumni now in coaching positions nationwide.
Victoria (Hicks) Bevins Coach Bevins got an offer she couldn’t refuse when she interviewed for what she thought was an opening for a fourth-grade teacher at Centerville Elementary, just west of Richmond. “The day I went in for my interview, they asked me if I would be willing to coach varsity volleyball,” Bevins recalls. “I said yes but that I wasn’t sure I was ready to jump right in since it would be my first year of marriage and my first year of teaching. However, I found out that the job and coaching were a bit of a package deal. There was no way I was walking away from my dream teaching job so I said yes! It turned out to be one of the best decisions. Teaching and coaching a varsity sport is hard work but it was very worthwhile.” Bevins (Elementary Education, 2013), who played two seasons of volleyball at IU East, directed Centerville to a 19-9 season. Her debut year included sectional and county runner-up finishes and the Cowan Invitational championship. Cowan was the reigning state champion.
David Sanders Coach Sanders pulls triple duty for IU East, serving as an assistant coach for the track and field, cross country and men’s basketball teams - all on top of his day job with Richmond Community Schools as a corporate paraprofessional.
Beaman led Seton’s transition to IHSAA-level varsity play during his time with the Cardinals.
Lauren Crump Coach Crump still knows nothing but 30-win seasons. Crump spent her first year after her graduation from IU East on the volleyball coaching staff at Clarkson University, an NCAA Division III program in Potsdam, N.Y. Crump helped the Golden Knights to a 36-7 season that included a trip to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III national tournament. “I found it easy to transition from a player to a coach,” said Crump (Communications, 2013), who was the setter for four 30-win teams at IU East between 2009 and 2012. “Being a four-year captain of the volleyball team, I found that the roles were similar. The obvious difference is playing time; as a coach, you get zero time on the court. A coach’s playing time, or time to shine, is at practice behind the scenes. That is where my true passion for the sport comes alive. As an assistant coach, my job was to learn my head coach’s philosophy and sell it to the players while secretly taking notes of my own. I enjoyed this part of coaching. I enjoyed learning a new philosophy, seeing it in the works, and being a part of its success. The thing I like most about the art of coaching is that there is no one formula or absolute way to do it. My philosophy and coaching style is completely unique to me. It is a direct representation of my experiences as a player and vision as a coach.”
“I’ve known ever since middle school that I wanted to coach in some capacity,” said Sanders (General Studies, 2013), who holds multiple IU East school records in basketball and track and field. “I wanted to coach here because I have so much invested in IU East. I’ve been here for five years in the athletic department, and I took a lot of pride in playing here, so I want to be here and give back and help out with the athletes here.”
Tyler Rigby Coach Rigby recently completed his second season as IU East’s men’s basketball assistant coach. Rigby (Secondary Education, 2012) also serves as an assistant coach for the Red Wolf cross country and track and field teams and as the coordinator for the Graf Center fitness and recreation area.
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“It made sense (to coach at IU East) because I’ve dedicated so much time here and have an emotional commitment to IU East,” said Rigby, who still holds the school record for NAIA career points. “The opportunity to coach here gives me another way to give back to the university because it has given me a lot over my years here.”
Brent Ross Coach Ross directed the most successful boys basketball season in school history at Northeastern High School, a short drive up U.S. 27 north from IU East. Ross (General Studies, 2004) led the 2013-14 Knights to the school’s first boys basketball sectional championship. Ross’ team finished 22-3, setting a school record for victories. Ross played and coached at IU East prior to starting his high school coaching career. He previously coached the National Trail boys and the Northeastern girls.